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Building your dream home can be an exciting, at the same time nerve-wracking, process. You have a vision for your house but are afraid that your vision won’t become a reality. After all, there are a hundred things that could go wrong and ruin your dream. So, how do you ensure that you stay on top of the whole process and see it through to the finish line successfully?

The first step is to put a plan in place. Come up with a comprehensive guide to help you navigate the house building process from the start to the finish. Here’s something to get you started—a list of ten important things that you should consider when building a new house.

Money Matters

For most homeowners, their dream home is as much of an emotional investment as it is a financial one. You may have big dreams for how you want your house to be, but before you get ahead of yourself, take a moment to look at the numbers first. Since you will need financial assistance from banks to build your house, you need to approach this whole process in a much more practical manner. Do some calculations to find out exactly how much it will cost to build your house. Then contact your bank to find out if you qualify for the home loan and take things from there. Talk to your builders, most of them will give you a fairly accurate estimate of how much it will cost to build the house. Knowing where you stand financially is the first step in building your house.
Take into consideration the construction cost, down payment needed, tax benefits (if any) and other costs involved.

Hire an Architect

The next step in the process is to hire a good residential architect and designer to design the floor plan. While you may have a general idea of what you want your house to be like, an architect will offer site analysis and efficient designing that will add value to your house. A good architect will have the knowledge and expertise to design your house in such a way as to make good use of the available space. They will be able to offer you suggestions on how you can cut down costs, give you a clear idea of what your house will look like by showing you 3d models designed on the computer.
Your architect will also look into planning permissions, see if there are any restrictions and how they might affect your design and make the whole process so much simpler for you.

Keep Your House’s Resale Value in Mind

So, you love the house and want it to be your ‘’forever home.’’ Unfortunately, life does not always go the way we want. We don’t know what the future holds. Your family might expand, growing too big for the house, forcing you to move to a bigger place. And when that time comes, your house needs to have good resale value. So, even when you’re building the house, keep the resale value in mind. Talk to your architect to find ways in which you can increase your house’s resale value at the construction stage. Remember, a house is a big commitment and a long-term investment. A good resale value is not something to be taken lightly.

Hire a Reputable Builder

One of the most important decisions that you will make when it comes to building your house is in hiring a good builder. There are many builders out there, but not all of them deliver good results. Do your research, talk with friends and family and look up reviews and customer feedback to find experienced, reputable builders to handle the construction of your house. A builder that’s competent, experienced and knows the ins and outs of construction will deliver great results with little to no hassle.

Go Green

When building your new house, it is a good idea to go as green and clean as possible with your energy consumption. This means energy-efficient light fixtures, solar power panels on the roof, and a lot of windows to let in natural sunlight and cut down on energy costs. Think futuristically when it comes to power consumption. Not only will you be saving money by way of reduced electricity bills, but your house will also have greater resale value as most potential home buyers are looking for houses with solar power panels.

Communicate Everything

Never assume that the architect understood what you had in mind or the builder knows what you want. Go out of your way to communicate everything, no matter how seemingly inconspicuous it might seem. When you are working with an architect, builders and designers, there is a lot of room for miscommunication. The best way to avoid that from happening is to be very vocal about what you want. Be in constant touch with your architect and builder to ensure that things are progressing in the right direction. If you have any concerns or doubts about the design or the floor plan, do not hesitate to talk it out with the architect. Doing this will not only help you gain better understanding but will also give them a clear picture of what you expect from them.
Building a new house is a huge undertaking. No matter how well you plan, organise and supervise everything, there will invariably be some glitches along the way. The only way to handle them is to take a very pragmatic approach, reason it out with yourself that these things happen, and then move on to finding a solution to fix the problem at hand. Don’t let the stress of building the perfect house distract you from the pleasure of planning and building your dream home. Enjoy the process and take everything in stride. When your house is finally move-in ready, all the time, effort and money you put into it will be totally worth it.

As we grow older, our mobility is impacted for more reasons than one. Many of us may be confined to one room or one floor at best depending on individual physical abilities or the lack of it. But, one space that gains the greatest importance for seniors is the bathroom. This is also the area that will see higher traffic than any time in the past. That brings in the question of renovating one or more bathrooms for elders. Let us now examine some of the major attributes that make the bathrooms safer and more convenient for the seniors.

1. Convenient

Bathrooms are private spaces with ample slippery surface. By making special provisions in the bathrooms for the seniors, we can not only avoid potential accidents but also make the area more convenient and secure for their use.

2. Non-slip/skid bathroom mats

This is perhaps the most inexpensive part of a bathroom renovation for seniors. The surface of the shower and outside is among the wettest areas in a bathroom. When you place no slip mats both inside and outside the shower area, it prevents stepping on the wet and slippery tiles apart from providing a visual clue for the elders whose perception of depth may be sick. Adhesive strips, close to the sink, is another space where the tiles tend to get wet and can provide better grip for the elders.

3. Supports

Seniors can have problems balancing themselves when they are standing erect, getting up from the toilet seat, moving in or out of the shower area, etc. The natural tendency is to grab a towel rack, curtain rod in the shower area, a wall-mounted sink or anything that can grip on to. But, sadly none of these fixtures is designed to take on the weight of an individual. Grab bars around the shower enclosure, and the toilet area can provide the elders with the safety they badly need. But, you should ensure that these grab bars are firmly grouted to the wall using bolts rather than suction cups. Similar is the case with tubs and grab bars that can be mounted directly to the rim of the container serve the purpose better.

3. Vertical pole

A vertical pole or tension pole is a metal rod that is erected with firm grouting to the floor as well as ceiling and can be alternative to the grab bars, when feasible. The idea is to provide a stable support structure for the elders in the middle of the bathroom. Tension poles are also familiar with fibreglass/acrylic tubs since the grab bars mounted on such containers tend to crack the container.

5. Lighting

Fumbling for the bathroom switches in mid night may not be a beneficial action for the elders. Reliable night lights (LED is a good option), or sensor based lighting is ideal. Sensor based lights come on when the door is opened and shut out when the door is closed. It is equally important to provide appropriate lighting and a clear path to the bathroom.

6. Toilet seats

Are the toilet seats suitable for the elders at home, or visiting relatives? Some people may have problems using a standard toilet seat. Several variants are safe for the seniors, and if you can have one with a locking mechanism or one that has grab bars for added safety, you can add to the security and safety of your elders. This can be particularly relevant if the seniors are also obese/overweight.

7. Moving space

Some of the older bathrooms can have cramped spaces, and the elderly may have difficulty walking around. If one or more seniors at home also use a wheelchair for mobility, you will need to pay particular attention to moving space within the bathroom. If the bathroom needs remodelling to accommodate these special needs, you should ensure that space is clutter free and all storage facilities and other unnecessary fixtures are removed. Further, take care of the tiles on the bathroom floor. Conventional tiles are pretty slippery, and when you have traces of soap or shampoo, it is an invitation to avoidable accidents. Getting the bathroom floor redone with skid free tiles will add to the security of the seniors.

8. Shower seat

Providing a shower seat is an excellent idea when the bathroom is tailored for the use of elders. Seniors may have difficulty standing for the duration of a shower and bath seat makes it far more comfortable for them.

9. Accessibility

Many seniors experience mobility problems. Having to move from one floor of the house to another to access the bathroom is not a bright idea when seniors are involved. Remember that seniors may also need to use the bathroom more frequently than the younger folk. Therefore, keeping the accessibility to the bathroom as close as possible is essential.

10. Exclusivity

Keeping one bathroom exclusively for the use of seniors will avert many unpleasant incidents. Children mainly do not take adequate care to maintain the bathroom clean and dry, and it is left to the elders to handle that part of the job. If children can be kept away from the bathroom used by seniors, it helps everyone to stay safe and secure. Keeping the space dry is another factor that will add to the safety of the elders.

Many of the measures outlined above need not necessarily wait till you undertake a full-scale bathroom renovation. It is necessary to contact a professional renovation organization such as Concept Bathrooms to get all the advice for renovation.Remember that in most situations, once inside the bathroom, seniors are nearly helpless and that makes it all the more essential that we consider a broad range of safety elements for them. For instance, the seniors can be requested not to bolt the bathroom door from inside. This way other members at home will gain quick access to space when needed. Start to modify your home to meet seniors’ demand. Here are some examples for you to see the result of the renovation.